"Today's award of four offshore wind farm areas in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea by the Federal Network Agency with a capacity of 7 gigawatts is a big step for the energy transition. It brings us much closer to our goal of installing at least 2030 gigawatts of offshore wind by 30. And it paves the way for a new economic miracle through offshore wind, triggered by billions in investments in offshore wind expansion,"
says BWO Managing Director Stefan Thimm. Across Europe, investments of over one trillion euros are expected for the planned installation of 400 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050.
“With their bids, the successful bidders BP and Total Energies show their strong commitment to the further expansion of offshore wind energy in Germany. The results show the profitability of offshore wind technology and the confidence of investors in the German market. These investments are of enormous importance for the expansion of renewable energies and for achieving the climate policy goals of the federal government."
In an international comparison, the bids awarded are above the benchmarks determined in the United Kingdom and the USA and significantly exceed the lower valuations recently observed in Ireland and Lithuania. From the point of view of the BWO, the money could have been used more sensibly: With the bids totaling EUR 12,6 billion, an additional 3,6 GW of offshore wind farms could have been erected. Given current yields from such areas, the Schwarze Pumpe coal-fired power plant could have been replaced in order to reduce CO2 save emissions of 11,8 million tons per year; more than twice as much as the speed limit of 120 km/h would have saved.
Stefan Thimm:
“Now it is important to lay the industrial policy foundations so that the winners of the auctions can successfully implement their projects. The high negative bid component puts additional pressure on the value chain. We need suitable framework conditions to eliminate the foreseeable bottlenecks in the value chain, for example in industrial capacity for the construction of wind turbines, foundations and the installation ships required for this. The announced national port strategy must plan for a corresponding expansion of the German seaports capable of carrying heavy loads in order to be able to ensure strong added value and employment through offshore wind in this country as well.”